Thursday, at 9 o’clock, a.m., we got aboard the special train, provided by the St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad Company and in an hour found ourselves
AT THE COAL MINES,
whither we went on the invitation of the Hecla and St. Bernard Mining Companies. About 150 persons composed the excursion party. After refreshing the spiritual liquidiam we were put in charge of Col. Foard, who gracefully did the Furguson for us in showing us through the mines. We were “loaded up” in little cars, pushed upon the platform and let down the shaft 90 feet into Cimmerian darkness.
There mines employ 175 men, and produce annually 2,226,000 bushels of coal. After exploring the mines, seeing the miners “dig” and “blast” we got in our cars and were drawn back to the foot of the shaft, and again drawn up into daylight. We “refreshed” again, (the refreshment consisted of lemonade and cigars). We were then escorted up to the mouth of the St. Bernard mines, where several trains of cars stood ready to receive up. We were in blissful ignorance of the very
GREAT SURPRISE
that awaited us. We were placed in the little coal cars, nine in each car, (however, Riley had a special car, for obvious reasons), an escort of miners was provided to accompany us, and we started on our delightful journey into the ground. For the distance of a mile and a half with a clang and a clatter, on the track and off, we went at a rattling speed. Finally at a turn in the chute, a scene suddenly burst upon our vision that cannot be described nor forgotten. A quarter of a mile distant we beheld the materialized
GROTTO OF CALYPSO,
an underground paradise of more than oriental splendor and magnificence. It was simply beyond description and above comparison. Imagine, if you can, a hall 400 feet long and 50 feet wide lighted with 1,000 wax candles, placed in clusters at regular distances along both sides and suspended from the ceiling 40 feet overhead; the walls literally covered with festoons of flowers and evergreens; the floor carpeted with moss and strewn with flowers; hundreds of bouquets on the two tables which ran the whole length of the hall, and hanging baskets of flowers overhead, while the liberal tables were weighted down with a dinner that would have pleased Epicurus himself. We were struck dumb with astonishment at this unexpected sight of fairyland and unanimously decided to stop our trains that we might admire the beautiful scene. Then the whole mountain shook with the most deafening cannonade; again and again the terrible thunder rolled through the caverns, until the whole mountain to her center shook. On inquiring, we were told that it was the miners blasting 80 feet below us, saluting the party. The cannonade ceased, the band began to play, and our senses were absolutely intoxicated with delight. When we proceeded to demolish the dinner, and after two or three hours of unadulterated happiness we reluctantly left the enchanted grotto. After listening to a very palatable paper by Judge McHenry, of St. Louis, (whose humor, by the way, is much like that of our lamented Humphreys, elevated, dignified, chaste), we started for Hopkinsville, and at 8:30 p.m., attended the reception by Dr. and Mrs. Rodman, at the Asylum, which was a most elegant affair.
This visit to Earlington was made June 6, 1878. One week from tomorrow, Friday, August 2, 1901, the Kentucky Press Association comes to Earlington again and will be entertained at luncheon, details of which will be given later.